Switch housing



Sept. 8, 1959 Filed May 24, 1957 R. C. BERRY SWITCH HOUSING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. P/CHMD C 55P FY BY 79. WW I p 959 R. c. BERRY 2,903,541

SWITCH HOUSING Filed May 24, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

P1040120 C. BERRY United States Patent SWITCH HOUSING Richard C. Berry, Camillus, N.Y., assignor to Crouse- Hinds Company, Syracuse, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application May 24, 1957, Serial No. 661,330

2 Claims. (Cl. 200- 168) This invention has as an object and relates to housings or enclosures in which electrical switches are mounted, the housings being of the type wherein the switch is sealed from the atmosphere in order to keep the switch vapor tight, and/ or, to render the switch explosion proof. Such housings usually consist of a boxlike member having an open top or side, to which is detachably secured a cover member in which the switch actuating handle normally extends outwardly from the cover, so that the switch may be actuated from the exterior of the housing.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved switch housing wherein the switch actuating handle extends laterally exteriorly of the cover member in a manner, wherein the operating handle is kept 'within the confines of the housing itself, in order that a plurality of these types of housings may be placed closely adjacent to one another and the switch handles still be operable.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a cover structure for a switch housing of the type referred to wherein the switch actuating mechanism is simple and inexpensive, the exterior handle of the actuating mechanism is located within the confines of the switch housing, and the mechanism operated with a minimum of wear on the switch.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the switch housing.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the invention.

Figure 3 is a cross section taken on line 33, of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross section taken on line 44, of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawings it will be seen that the cover is made up of a top wall 10, a rear wall 11, side walls 12 and 13, front wall 14 and an open bottom 15.

Extending through the bottom wall 15 are a plurality of fasteners 16 for afiixing the cover to a boxlike structure 17 in which the switch 18 having an operating handle 19 is mounted. As will be seen from Figures 3 and 4 the bottom wall 15 has an annular groove 20 in which a sealing gasket 21, made of rubber or the like, is mounted in order to effect a vapor tight seal between the cover and the box 17. As seen in Figure 3 the switch 18 is mounted upon the cars 25 of the box 17 by means of a plate 26 and fasteners 27.

Referring now to Figure 4, it will be seen that the front wall 14 slopes downwardly and outwardly from the top wall towards the bottom wall 15. A threaded hub 30 is formed in the front wall 14 adjacent the top 10 and operating handle having a threaded stem 31 is mounted in the hub 30 and extends interiorly of the housing. The outer end of the stem 31 is formed with actuating ears 32, as is best seen in Figure 1, to move the stem 31 rotatably in the hub 30 from the on to the off position or vice versa.

Patented Sept. 8, 1959 Affixed to the inner end of the stem 31 as by a fastener 33 is a depending arm 34. As best shown in Figure 1 the depending arm is formed with a portion 35 offset toward the front wall 14 of the cover.

Aflixed to this offset portion 35 as by fasteners 36 is a V-shaped fork 40 having operating prongs 41 and 42. The upper end of the fork 40 is formed with a pair of tangs 43 which engage the sides of the depending arm 41 and act in co-operation with the fastener 36 to fixedly mount the fork 40 against rotation on the offset portion 35.

As will be seen from Figure 3 and Figure 4, when the stem 31 is rotated the arm 34 will be rotated so that the prongs 41 and 42 will operate to engage the handle 19 of the switch 18 to move it either to an on or ofi position depending upon which way the arm 34 is moved. As will be seen from Figure 3, the arms or prongs 41 and 42 are V-shaped so that the contact between the prongs and the switch handle 19 is limited to a minimal amount whereby the amount of frictional wear upon the arm 19 is greatly reduced. As shown by the dotted lines in Figure 3 the fork 40 has been provided with a pair of apertures 50 whereby the fork 40 may be adjustably mounted in two positions upon the offset portion 35 of the arm 34. Consequently, it will be obvious that due to this adjustable mounting of the fork 40 on the arm 34 and because of the V-shaped operating prongs. 41 and 42, the switch actuating mechanism will accomodate switches having handles of the various shapes and sizes.

Referring now to Figure 4 it will be seen that the outer end of the stem 31, on which the actuating cars 32 have been mounted, is received within the housing so that the side walls 12 and 13 extend beyond the outer edges of the operating ears 32. Consequently it will be seen from Figures 1 and 4- that the operating handle is fully received in the confines of the switch housing.

Consequently it will be seen that by my invention I have provided a simple, compact, yet inexpensive switch housing which has no operating parts extending beyond the outer dimensions of the housing itself.

This is very important since it allows a plurality of these switch housings to be mounted in adjacent or side by side relationship upon a gang or plurality of switches in boxes 17 and yet the ears 32 are still accessible from above the switch housings to operate the switches.

What I claim is:

1. A switch housing cover having front, rear, top and side walls and having an open bottom for the reception of a switch having an upstanding handle, said front Wall sloping outwardly from said top wall and downwardly toward said open bottom between said side walls, an aperture in said front wall, an actuating handle operatively mounted in said aperture, an arm mounted on and depending from the inner end of said handle interiorly of said housing, a portion of said arm converging downwardly toward said front wall, an operating fork mounted for vertical adjustment on the lower end of said arm, the prongs of said fork converging toward said handle and adapted to engage the switch handle upon rotation of the actuating handle whereby said switch will be actuated.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the prongs of said fork extend normally to said offset portion to surround the handle of said switch, said fork being further provided with a pair of tangs contacting the sides of said offset portion to fix the fork against rotation on said offset portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,666,119 Becker Jan. 12, 1954 

